Clip



O 8, 1950 w. R. GUNDERSON I 2,532,020

CLIP

Filed June is, 1949 3 vague/Mom ATTOR N EY Patented Nov. 28, 1 950 our Willard R. Gunderson, Dallas, Tex., assignor to The Frito Company, Dallas, Tex., a corporation of Texas Application June 13, 1949, Serial No. 98,865

This invention relates to a Spring clip.

An object of this invention is to provide a spring clip which is adapted to encircle or partially encircle a portion of a supporting member so that articles may be supported on either side of the supporting member through cooperation,

of the gripping jaws of the clip with the supporting member.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spring clip which has an opening therein, which opening may encircle a portion of a supporting member, and wherein a pair of gripping jaws depend from said opening in substantially parallel alignment with the axis of said opening, whereby articles of merchandise may be supported in parallel alignment with a supporting member, and supported. on either side of the supporting member.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the clip;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2'-2 of Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View of the clip taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2, showing a portion of its supporting member in dotted lines; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a blank showing the successive stamping and forming steps to produce the clip.

The clip, as shown in Fig. 1, comprises a body portion formed of substantially parallel side walls formed of fiat stock and substantially parallel end walls I l to provide a substantially rectangular opening 12. The opening I2 is of substantial depth and extends in a parallel direction to the face of the stock forming the side walls ill. A pair of arcuately shaped gripping jaws It depend from the side walls Hi and are provided with cutout portions l6. Finger tabs l 8 extend upwardly from the free end of the gripping jaws M in diverging relationship, and are adapted to contact the arcuate portion of the jaws M to provide a fulcrum point when the tab or tabs are moved inwardly of the support for spreading the jaws.

It is important to note that the depending gripping jaws M are in parallel alignment with the axis of the opening I2, thus enabling the opening 12 to encircle asupport 2e as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. By this arrangement, each of the gripping jaws M will cooperate with the flat surfaces of the supporting member 20 so that articles may be secured between the supporting member and each of the jaws 14, thereby enabling articles to be releasably secured on opposed sides of the supporting member. The ar- 2 Claims. (Cl. 24259) ticles to be secured will be in substantially the same horizontal plane, and a pair of articles may be secured to the supporting member by means of a. single clip.

Fig. 4 illustrates the preferred method of forming the clip as shown in Fig. 1. An elongated strip of flat stock metal 38 is utilized, and the six sequential forming steps appear from top to bottom.

The first stamping step, as shown in the upper portion of the strip 30, cuts a configuration of metal from the strip to provide metal from which the body portion and jaws and finger tabs are ultimately .formed.

The second step further cuts the openings it which ultimately appear in a portion of the grip ping jaws, and also forms reinforcing ridges 32 which will ultimately appear lengthwise of the finger tabs l8. In this step, also, a further cutting operation takes place to substantially sever the body portion of the clip from the strip 353.

The third step is purely a bending operation which partially forms the gripping jaws to take an arcuate shape, and the finger tabs.

The fourth step shows a further bending operation wherein the finger tabs are further bent toward their ultimate position, and simultaneously therewith, one of the end walls ll is partially formed.

In the fifth step, the body portion is completely formed to take its ultimate shape, and simultaneously therewith, the gripping jaws are positi'oned in opposed relationship. Also, in this bending operation, the finger tabs are further bent inwardly in substantially contacting relationship to the arcuate portion of the gripping aws.

The sixth step is a severance of the body portio from the strip and thus forms the completed clip as shown in Fig. 1.

In my copending application Serial No. 98,867, filed June 13, 1949, for Display Support, I have claimed the combination of the clip disclosed herein with a supporting member therefor.

I claim:

1. A clip formed of spring metal adapted to encircle a portion of a supporting member wherein articles may be supported on either side of the member by the clip, said clip comprising a body portion of flat stock bent about itself to form an opening of substantial depth parallel to the face of the stock adapted to encircle a portion of a supporting member, a pair of arcuately shaped gripping jaws depending from said body portion in parallel alignment with the axis of said opening, and finger tabs extending upwardly from the free end of said gripping jaws adapted to be moved relatively inwardly to Contact the arcuate portion of said jaws for spreading the same.

'2. A clip formed of a single piece of spring metal adapted to encircle a portion of a supporting member wherein articles may be supported on either side of the membe' by the clip, said clip comprising a body portion of flat stock bent about itself to form an opening of substantial depth parallel to the face of the stock and of rectangular shape in cross section and adapted to encircle a portion of a supporting member, a pair of arcuateiy shaped opposed gripping jaws depending from said body portion in parallel alignment with the axis of said opening, and finger tabs extending upwardly from the free end of said gripping jaws in diverging relation to each other and adapted to be moved relatively 4 inwardly to contact the arcuate portion of said jaws for spreading the same.

WILLARD R. GUNDERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 519,998 German May 15, 1894 713,139 Nosker Nov. 11, 1902 1,321,175 Winter Nov. 11, 1919 1,437,655 Hatch Dec. 5, 1922 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 767,196 France July 12, 1934 

